Inflatable sport ball



April 29, 1930. J. E. vDoRwARD INFLATABLE SPORT BALL Filed July 9, 1923 Patented Api. ze, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oEFlc JOSEPH E. DORWARD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

INFLATABLE sronr BALI.

Application mea July 9, 1923. seriarno. 650,351.

may be accomplished without the necessity I of unlacing the outer casing.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and therein,

Figure 1' is a perspective view of a football embodying the invention,

Figure 2 is a section'on an enlarged scale through the valve device,

Figures 3 and 4 are detail views.

Referrin to the drawings, the outer .cas-

ing'l maye conveniently made of leather or other suitable wear resisting material and may be formed in any desired shape, as for instance an ellipsoid or sphere ory various other shapes, a football being shown for purposes of illustration.

Within the casing is an air-tight bladder 2 which may be conveniently inserted and withdrawn from the outer casing through an openin 3 which may be closed by a lacing 4. If esired, a iap 5 may be secured to the inside of the outer casing and may extend under the opening to. protect the bladder.

At the op osite side of the ball from the opening an lacing the Casin may be vrovided with a small opening eneath w ich may be secured a disk 7 havin perforations therein through whlch it may be conveniently sewed to the casing. The disk may be provided with "an opening 8 to register with the opening in-the casing and may be cupped to conform to the shape lof the outer casing when in inflated condition. The opening. 8 in the disk may conveniently be a series of internally threaded to receive the threaded connection between-the bladder and valve tube.v For this purpose a suitable opening -may 'be formed in the bladder to surround the-threaded end of the valve tube. The disk I 12 may then be placed over the bladder and secured 'rmly thereto by a nut 13 internally threaded to mesh with the threaded end of the valve tube.

If desired, the flange disk 11 and the additional disk 12 may be provided with a series of matching annular grooves or corrugations 14 which serve to establish a more effective contact with the bladder. In assembling, cement, lshellacor other adhesive may be used to further improve the contact.

Between the disk 7 and the disk 11, and

sewed to the former throu h a series of perforations 15 formed therein, may he placed a felt pad 16 to better protect the bladder. This pad may be tapered around its edges, if desired, in order to prevent ridges being vformed between the bladder and the outer casino'.

v A Iassage 17 is provided through the valve tube, one portion of which is constricted at 18 to forma seat for a valve 19. The valve may be conveniently carried on a plunger 20 pro- -vided with openings 21 through which air may pass. The valve is urged toward its seat by a coil spring 422, one end of which bears against the plunger 20 and the other end of which bears against a screw threaded plug 23 which may mesh with' an internal thread in the valve tube. An opening 24 is provided in the plug through which a1r may ass. p The opposite end of the valve tube may also be internally threaded at 25 to receive a .peump or other means by which the ball -anay inflated. 4This opemng may be closed by a suitable plug 26 of leather, rubber, rawhide or other non-metallic material when the ball has been inflated and is ready for use.

When the valve tube -has been secured to 4the bladder in the manner described above and the disk'7 has been sewed to the casing, the bladder 2 may be inserted in the casing through the opening. The valve tube and the disk may then be engaged by screwing the threaded end of the tube into the threaded ICS opening -of the disk. The opening 3 mayl then be laced and the ball is ready to be in- Hated. This may be accomplished in thev usual manner through the threaded opening 5 of the valve tube.

It will be observed in the preferred embodiment illustrated that the valve tube is placed opposite the opening andlacing. This may be advantageous in order that the weight of the lacing vmay counter-balance that of the valve, thereby retaining the lbalance of the ball. l

In order that the weight of the ball mayT not be unduly increased, the valve tube,` disks and other metal parts may preferably be made from some aluminum or other light alloy. The perforations formed in the disk 7 will also reduce the weight of the device to a minimum.

2o It is understood-that the invention is not .limited to the embodiment herein illustrated but that on the contrary it may be variously modified and embodied within the scope o f the subjoined claims.

I claim as my' invention:

1. In an inflatable ball having an outer casing and^a bladder, a valve tube connected to said bladder,avalve therein,aplate ermanently stitched lto said casing, sai plate being provided with a threaded opening, and means including a screw thread on said valve tube whereby said valve tube may be secured in said opening. u

` 2.v In an inflatable ball havin an outer casing and a bladdei'f a valve tu e opening into said bladder, a ange and disk thereon between which said bladder is secured',` said flange and 'disk being provided with matching corrugations to grip thebladder, and an 40 additional disk secured to said casinig and iazdlapted to be removably connected to said 3. In inliatable ball havin an outer casing and a bladder a. valve tu o ening Y into said bladder, a flange and disk t ereon between which'saidbladder is secured, said flange and disk being provided with matching corrugations to grip the bladder, an additional disk secured to said casing adapted to be removably connected to said tube,` and.

a felt ad also secured toA said second disk v 'and lymg between said casing and bladder.

In testimony whereof, I have si ed my name to this specification this 22 day of s@ July, 1923 JOSEPH E. DoRwARD. p 

